After Months On The Lam, Ledyard Lizard Loses Life

LEDYARD — After months on the loose, a monitor lizard raided a chicken coop and was fatally shot by police.

About 3:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a 911 call from Shewville Road. The caller reported what she thought was an alligator in a chicken coop at her home, they said.

Officers arrived and saw a large lizard attacking chickens, police said. The lizard, about four feet long, is believed to be the same one that had been spotted in eastern Ledyard over several months, Lt. Michael Finkelstein said.

The officers shot the reptile to prevent any more damage to livestock and injuries to pets or people, police said.

Monitor lizards are extremely dangerous, they said, and are illegal in Connecticut. Police believe the lizard had been brought to Ledyard as a pet.

The reptiles are from Africa, Asia, Australia and Indonesia and can range in size from less than a foot to more than six feet long.